


Thicker Than Thieves

by Golden Collars (GothAlbinoAngel)



Category: Charlie's Angels (2019)
Genre: Aromantic, Aromantic Elena Houghlin, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Sabina and Jane just really care, like a lot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:22:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22889131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GothAlbinoAngel/pseuds/Golden%20Collars
Summary: After a mission, Sabina's comments hit a little too close to home and Elena wonders, once again, if something is wrong with her. Thankfully, Saint is there to validate her and reaffirm that she is just fine the way she is, and the others aren't far behind.
Relationships: Elena Houghlin & Jane Kano & Sabina Wilson, Elena Houghlin & Saint
Comments: 11
Kudos: 75





	Thicker Than Thieves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a thought and I decided to act on it.

_"That you could be dating more if you played up those cheekbones more in your online photos... "_

That made Elena uncomfortable. In fact, that made Elena _very_ uncomfortable. That was a piece of information she already knew. So many people had complimented her on her cheekbones, so many people had told her how attractive they made her.

Elena had specifically _stopped_ drawing attention to them for that exact purpose. She didn't want anyone to be attracted to her. She didn't want people to approach her with the intention of a romantic relationship, which, 99% of the time, was usually why men even stopped to talk with her outside of work. Elena didn't want that, but she couldn't tell these borderline strangers that, no. So, she stayed quiet, allowing them to think they'd just given her some kind of grand revelation or something like that.

Now that Callisto had been stopped, though, Elena felt anxiety eating at her insides. She knew it was common (and overwhelmingly, _uncomfortably_ expected) for people to fall in love, for people to 'find their other half' or 'that person who completes them' or 'the One'. Everyone had it hard-wired into their brains because of media and reinforced by the older generation. Everyone was expected to fall in love and settle down.

But romance wasn’t the most important type of relationship. Actually, from Elena’s perspective, statistically speaking, romance was the _third_ most important. Yet, it was so reinforced that everyone should get married, settle down and start a family. Elena didn’t mind the settling down part. A nice house in the suburbs to watch people pass and live at her leisure sounded like paradise. But why did she have to fall in love to get that? Why couldn’t she do that with close friends? _Why_ was being single so frowned upon?

Elena was usually really good at both hiding her aromanticism and sending it to the back of her mind. Someone’s romantic or sexual orientation was a mundane trait. It’s not like everyone actually thought about it 24/7. Even if it was something unconventional (like right now), it really wasn’t worth the deep thought. Elena was great at not even thinking about it.

Today was different, though. The team had just finished up a mission where both Elena and Sabina had needed to seduce a few people in order to get information. One of the guys… didn’t get the hint that he was a pawn.

“So, like, I mean, how about dinner? Or, I mean, if that’s too much too soon, we could, you know, grab a coffee. Or-or tea, if you don’t like coffee. You know, get to know one another over a soda?”

Elena turned to him with an apologetic smile. “I’m really sorry, but I’ll have to pass.”

Daniel’s face fell, but he tried to stay composed. Elena knew his ego was probably hurting, but if she accepted, it would be more than just his ego. Thankfully, he cleared his throat with a nod.

“No, yeah, that’s cool. I, uh, I get it. Sorry-.”

Elena held up a hand. “Don’t apologize,” she told him, quiet but sincere. “You actually had the courage to ask me out, even if it led to rejection. Most people can’t even make it that far. They just skirt around the topic or don’t bother asking at all. I’m sure that the girl who says yes to your offer will be thankful you were actually straightforward. I promise.” She took his hand and shook it with a smile. “I’ve got to go, but I really am glad I met you. See ya around if ever I’m in Wales again, alright?”

A grin broke across Daniel’s face and he shook her hand firmly. “Deal. I’ll have a date by the next time you see me.”

Elena couldn’t help a laugh as she turned to follow Sabina and Jane. “I look forward to it!”

As she strode out the door, Elena released a breath. That was probably one of the best reactions to a rejection she’d seen yet. She wished more people took it as gracefully as Daniel did. He was going to make someone really happy one day. As she made her way toward the van, she felt an arm sling around her shoulders and grinned.

“Hey, Sabina,” she chuckled.

“Damn, girl,” Sabina chirped, climbing into the van and extending a hand to Elena. “That was such a smooth letdown. You should start a business.”

“Hard pass,” Elena responded. She accepted the water bottle Jane handed to her. “Breaking hearts is hard enough when directed at me. Who knows how difficult it would be doing it for other people.”

Sabina shrugged. “I mean, dudes aren’t really my thing, but he seemed like a good match for you. You two really had that spark. Not pressuring, obviously, just saying, when ya find your dude, he’s probs gonna be a lot like Danny.”

Elena’s stomach twisted. _“When ya find your dude.”_ She never would, though, not in the way Sabina meant. She just wanted close friendships, ones that meant more than kissing and marriage, children. She wanted to grow old together with her best friends, not someone the world _told_ her would be the most important person in the world for her.

Thankfully, Jane jumped in before Elena had to comment. “Statistically, it’s been proven that less than 25% of people can actually recognize flirting, Sabina. I doubt Elena had a spark so much as just… _doing her job._ ”

Jane was such a lifesaver. Elena shot her a grateful smile and Jane returned it with a smirk. Bosley just kept her eyes on the road as the three of them fell into the usual post-mission banter. Complaints about aches, pains, flirting, and the thoughts of looking forward to baths, food, and sleep. Elena tried to use it to push away the gnawing ache in her stomach, the nagging insistence that she was bad, broken, malfunctioning in some way. It always got like this when love was the topic of discussion. She hated this. She just wished people would understand that she was _happy_ like this.

As they all piled into the London compound, Elena hung back from the others. Saint greeted them with a buffet and scented bath oils. Jane and Bosley strode off for the bath and Sabina made a beeline for the buffet. Meanwhile, Saint eyed Elena curiously and stepped closer.

“Your aura is gray,” he told her softly.

“Oh?” Elena raised an eyebrow at him. Her voice sounded strained to her own ears, but hopefully it was too subtle for anyone to catch.

“Yes, when someone’s not feeling well, their aura turns gray,” Saint explained.

Elena’s eyebrows pulled together. “Wait, I thought auras turned black when something was wrong.”

“No, black is the color of eternity.” Saint motioned for her to follow him. “That is a color only shown when either someone is truly happy or close to death. Gray means there is something wrong.”

Elena trailed Saint to a room further in the compound. Not too far from the others, but enough that they could have privacy. He gestured to a chair and Elena sat, sighing heavily.

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” Saint said quietly. “But I’ve found that talking at all is very good for someone.”

Elena took a deep breath and was shocked to feel tears sting her eyes. Oh, it shouldn’t have been surprising. This wouldn’t be the first night she cried herself to sleep because she was broken. Probably wouldn’t be the last either.

“Elena?” Saint pressed hesitantly. “There’s a chaotic energy around you. Please, say something?”

Elena’s jaw worked for a moment before she finally said, “I’m… I’m aromantic.”

She waited for Saint to ask what that was, for him to ask her if she was imagining things, for him to tell her any number of common phrases. From ‘you’ll change your mind in time’ to ‘you’ll regret it when you’re older’ to ‘you just haven’t met the right person yet’. Elena had heard them all, so she was prepared.

Instead, Saint reached out to place his hand over one of hers. “You’re not broken,” he told her. Both his voice and his eyes were intense as he gazed at her, his hand nothing but gentle on hers. “You are not broken, you are not malfunctioning. You are _perfectly normal._ ”

“No I’m not,” Elena rasped. “If I was, I would be able to fall in love like everybody else.”

“I never said you were _societally_ normal,” Saint refuted. “I said you were _normal._ This is _normal_ for you. Normal is subjective to you and how you experience. Not being able to fall in love is not a travesty. Romance is not necessary for happiness.”

Elena was surprised when Saint gently hugged her, and it was only then that she felt the tears sliding down her cheeks. No one had ever validated her experiences before. No one had ever told her it was okay. No one had ever assured her that romance _wasn’t necessary._ Before she knew it, Elena was sobbing against Saint’s shoulder.

“I always feel like there’s something wrong with me,” she choked out. “Everyone keeps expecting me to date and marry and settle down and I’m so _tired_ of being invalidated for who I am. It always _hurts_.”

“I know,” Saint whispered, gently rocking her. “I know it feels that way. You have so much self-loathing inside because of the expectations imposed on you. But you are not broken. You are just as normal as any romantically-inclined person.”

Elena cried against him for a little longer, taking shaky deep breaths to calm down. When she finally felt okay to do so, Elena pulled back a little. “Thank you,” she sniffed. “I just… I know everyone means well, but with this latest mission and the conversation right after… and then the conversation after _that_ …”

Saint stroked her hair from her forehead. “Have you told any of the others?”

Elena shook her head. “I… I don’t know what their reactions will be,” she mumbled. “I don’t want to face the reactions I’ve always gotten, not from the people I trust the most.” She pressed a hand to her face. “That would hurt a hundred times worse than being invalidated ever has.”

“I understand,” Saint reassured her. “Well, your secret is safe with me. And if ever you need to talk about it, I am here for you.”

“Thanks, Saint,” Elena sniffed, wiping away any lingering traces of tears. “I really appreciate it.”

“Think nothing of it.” Saint stood and helped the tech genius to her feet. “Now, how about you go take a bath? The mission must have been rough on all of you.”

Elena chuckled and nodded. “A bath would be great right now, actually. Thanks.” Saint pulled a bottle of scented oil from his pocket and handed it to her. “Did you just… have this? The whole time?”

“Of course,” he laughed. “I was going to give it to you at the entrance, but then this whole thing happened. Now, go on. Head for a bath. I have to make sure Sabina doesn’t make herself sick eating too much.”

With a wave, Elena made her way to her assigned room. Meanwhile, Jane and Sabina felt a whirlwind of emotions. Unfortunately, one of the drawbacks of having communicators in your body meant that if you weren’t focusing on keeping a message quiet, the Angels within your vicinity could hear everything you said. Neither _wanted_ to breach Elena’s privacy that way, and if not for knowing she was with Saint, Jane would have mentioned it through the comms. Instead, she’d stayed quiet and the other three Angels had been privy to the minor breakdown.

“Oh my god,” Sabina whispered. “Oh my god.”

“Keep quiet or she’ll hear you,” Jane hissed. Though, she internally echoed Sabina’s sentiment. She had no idea Elena felt that way. It twisted her stomach to think Elena was frightened to tell them something about herself. Yes, she trusted them with her life, but being shut down at every turn must have had a terrible impact on how she viewed romance or even discussing her romantic affiliation (or, well, lack thereof).

Sabina internally kicked herself. She’d instigated the earlier conversation about dating and settling down. She must’ve made Elena feel _horrible._ No. That wasn’t gonna fly. Sabina needed to fix this asap. Never did she ever want her teammates to feel like she was imposing anything on them.

Bosley could practically hear the cogs turning in their heads and she sighed. She wouldn’t stop them from whatever hair-brained scheme they—or more accurately, _Sabina_ —came up with, but it better not involve explosives or she would suspend Sabina and put her on house arrest for a _month._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this just a flimsy excuse to write Angels fluff and hijinks? Of course it is!


End file.
